Locomotive-headlight-focusing attachment and pilot light therefor



Nov. 15, 1927. 1,648,955

(3. P. MCGINNIS LOCOMOT-I VE HEADLIGHT FOCUSING' ATTACHMENT AND PILOT LIGHT THEREFOR Filed Janfli, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR v ATTORNEY-S Nov. 15, 1927. 1,648,955

c. P. M GI-NNIS LOCOMOTIVE HEADLIGHT FOCUSING ATTACHMENT AND PILOT LIGHT THEREFOR Filed Jan. '7, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTQR g7 ATTORNEY 6 .Patented Nov. 15, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,648,955 PATENT OFFICE.

CRAWFORD I. McGINNIS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE PYLE-NATIONAL COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

LOCOKOTIVE-EEADLIGHT -I'OCUSING ATTACHMENT AND PILOT LIGHT THEREFOR.

Application filed January My invention relates to improvements in locomotive headlight focusingattachment and pilot light therefor and has for one object to rovide a new and im roved type i 5 of headlig t wherein all manip' ation of the li ht source for focusing takes place in front the forward boundary of the reflector and wherein all parts which support or are used to adjust or manipulate or focus it are lolo cated in front of the reflector. Another object is to provide an arrangement whereby the'light source for majori lummation and the pilot light are mounted in the same support. Other objects will appear from time Q 15 to time throughout the specification and claims. My invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein-- x t Figure 1 is alongitudinal section on a vertical plane through a headlight embody ingmy invention;

igure 2 is a sectiorron an enlarged scale through the focusing device; Figure 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Like parts are indicated by like characters throughout the specification and drawings.

1 isthe supporting frame, 2 the housing mounted on the frame by means of a lug 3 and other ln s not here shown. 4 s the reflector bow engaging a cushion 5 1n the housing. The housing is expanded at 6 to contain a reflector holding ring and a supporting collar 8. Projectm radially 1nward from the supporting col ar 8 are the stri arms 9 and a hollow arm 10.

Carried by the arms 9 and 10 is a fixed sleeve 11. In this sleeve is slidably mounted a threaded adjusting sleeve 12 slotted at 13 to engage a-pin 14 in the sleeve 11 which pm holdst e two sleeves against relativerotation while permitting longitudinal movement. 15, 16 are adjusting nuts threaded on the sleeve 12engagi'ng or abutting against the sleeve 11. By manipulation of these nuts the adjusting sleeve ma be moved longitudinally within the fixe sleeve. 17 and 18 are electric light sockets contained in the 50 ends of the sleeve 12. They carry electric light bulbs, 19 which provides .the illumination for theuheadlightbeam and 20 which prrovides' the pilot light. Conductors 21 lead om .the sockets 1 and 18 through the sleeves and-through an aperture 22 in the 7, 1926. Serial No. 78,732.

sleeves down through the hollow-arm 10 into the housing 1.

The reflector is cut away at 23 in line with the adjusting sleeves 11 and 12 and their associated parts The sleeves, light sockets and the like are all located on the axis of the reflector. V

' The position of the bases or sockets in the adjusting sleeve is, of course, fixed. The headlight bulb and the pilot light bulb bear a fixed relation, being locatedas they are in the adjusting sleeve. Adjustment of the light beam is made by loosening one of the nuts and tightening the other to move the adjustin sleeve longitudinally in thefixed sleeve afong the axis of the reflector. No other focusing arrangement is needed be cause the electric light bulbs can be obtained Withthe light source properly centered on the axis of the socket so that if the socket is centered on the axis of the reflector it is necessary only to move the light source back and forth a ong the reflector to directly focus. The light rays from the source impinge on the reflector in the usual way and reflect out in a parallel ra beam. No light is reflected from the hlan spot on the reflector, that'is, the spot where"the"reflector is cut away because if the reflector were not cut. away and light was reflected it would merely be interrupted by the electric light sockets and associated parts.

It will be evident that while I have shown in my drawings an operative device, still many changes might be made in the size, shape, arrangement and disposition of parts without departing materially from the spirit of my mvention and I wish, therefore, that my showing be taken as in a sense diagrammatic.

The use and o are as follows. I

ration of this invention e 11 ht source is suspended in front of -the re ector bowl. There is nothing between the light source and the reflector surfaces. Thus the light rays from the light source impinge upon the entire refle'ctor area and since the reflector is most eflicient towards its apex, the usual masking of the light toward the apex of the reflector which normally cuts down greatly the efiiciency of the reflector is done away with. The masking effect of the members which hold and permit the adjustment of the position of the light source is reduced to a minimum because they are not 'in line with the hole at the apex of the reflector which hole must usually be left there as the result of the requirements of manufacture.

The light source is moved toward and from the reflector along the focal axis by means of a sliding sleeve in which the bulb is mounted, which sleeve slides in a fixed sleeve and is moved backward and forward by means of opposed,- threaded collar,en-

v gaging threads on" the sliding sleeve and.

abutting against the ends of the fixed sleeve.

' The fixed sleeve is held with its axis in line with the axis of the. reflector and the only adjustment in focus possible or necessary is an adjustment back and forth toward the apex of the reflector in line with the axis,

I claim:

1. In a headlight, a reflector bowl, a light support comprising a rigid arm extending across the open mouth of the bowl, a fixed sleeve supported on the arm having its axis coinciding with the axis of the reflector, a

floating sleeve slidable therein, longitudinally slotted in its central position and threaded at each end, a pin in the fixed sleeve engaging the slot, nuts. on each end of the floating sleeve and abutting against each ,end of the fixed sleeve, electric lamp sockets ineach end of the floating sleeve and lights socketed therein, located on the axis of the reflector and one projecting toward the other awa from the bowl.

2., In a eadlight, a reflector bowl, a light support comprising a rigid arm extending sockets in each end of thefloating sleeve and lights socketed therein, located on the axis of the reflector and one projecting toward the other away from the bowl, the support being hollow, apertures in both sleeves in register with each other and the hollow support and electric conductors extending radially through the support and the apertures into the interior of the sleeve to the light sockets.

Signed at New York, county of New York and State of New York, this 21st day of December, 1925.

1 CRAWFORD P. MCGINNISQ 

